I had the pleasure of speaking with Tony about their book project called “For the love of…” which includes stories, illustrations, poems and jokes about animals and has been put together by so many animal lovers.

Tony and Sarah have done fundraisers before for various causes and charities back in the UK. This is the biggest project they have done as the fundraiser books they have produced before have been on a smaller scale and usually in black and white but with ARA’s backing they have been able to produce a book in full colour and they are hoping that this book is distributed not only in the Algarve but internationally and will hopefully make some waves.

The couple have a Portuguese water dog called Figo who they were trying to find a friend for which is how they found ARA in Loulé. They thought they had found the perfect dog for them but unfortunately, because of her age and form, they felt they could not adopt her because she could not climb lots of stairs and travel back and forth with them. They were so sad they were unable to give her a home, that they decided to raise money for her, and animals just like her and to spread the word. “ARA do such amazing work and we would like to bring the attention to it that it deserves. Raising awareness for animal welfare is so important to us and we would like to make people aware of how much effort and care ARA put in which is why this cause has awoken us.” This story does have a happy ending, as recently they have adopted a puppy from ARA who is now a great friend to Figo.

“The book has been great fun. It is something we have done before but this time it is quite special because now we are living in Portugal for a big part of the year. Some things in this book will make you laugh, there are heart-warming stories and some stories that are sad too and most importantly, we have seven schools from the Almancil area who have also contributed with 30 pages of wonderful art, poems and stories from the children. The support for this book has been incredible and it has been a really collaborative and community project.” Word of mouth has worked wonders as people back in England are backing this project and Algarve based people have also contributed to the book and it has also gone international so work is featured from America, France, Germany and Brazil.

I spoke to Ian Henderson from ARA about his take on the book and he said “This book is not just about ARA but about all animal welfare in Portugal. From this book, we have been approached by The Almancil School Association, to set up a protocol with the schools and have the children come to visit ARA and learn more about animal welfare. We will also go to the schools to do informative presentations because we feel the best way to get anyone to change is through children and education. Animal Welfare in Portugal is not great but it is definitely changing and this phenomenal book is fuelling that change.”

The response to the book has been extremely successful and people have already been so kind in supporting this initiative. If you would like a copy of their book and to donate to such an important cause, please check out their Gofundme page at https://gofund.me/75490996. They also have more information about their project on their website https://qt4charity.wixsite.com/qt4charity. Additionally, if you would like to know more about ARA and the work they do please check out their website at https://animalrescuealgarve.com.

Author

Following undertaking her university degree in English with American Literature in the UK, Cristina da Costa Brookes moved back to Portugal to pursue a career in Journalism, where she has worked at The Portugal News for 3 years. Cristina’s passion lies with Arts & Culture as well as sharing all important community-related news.

Cristina da Costa Brookes